Such odd matchups seem impossible, perhaps even foolhardy. However, neither No. 9 Oregon nor improving Stanford wants to discard a lineup that has worked so well lately. Adjusting to the opponent before the game even starts can be seen as a sign of weakness, even desperation, and neither team sees itself as weak.

So both coaches figure to stick with the same starting lineups, which demonstrate the vast difference in the teams' style of play.

Stanford (11-4, 3-2) is 3-0 since putting the 7-foot Lopez twins in the starting five. As a result, the Cardinal are going with a one-guard lineup, a seldom-seen alignment these days. Still, it's not as unusual as what Oregon is doing by starting four guards plus a forward who takes (and makes) a lot of three-pointers.

The Ducks (16-1, 4-1) are all about speed and outside shooting.

"If there is a quicker team in college basketball, I haven't seen it," Stanford coach Trent Johnson said.

All five starters can run, and all five can shoot. Point guard Aaron Brooks is the only starter who is shooting less than 40 percent on three-pointers, and Brooks might be the quickest player in college ball. He also is one of the best in the clutch, scoring the winning basket against UCLA and Arizona.

The Ducks tried to be more conventional when they opened Pac-10 play, inserting 6-8 Adam Zaun into the starting lineup, along with 6-9 Maarty Leunen, for the first two conference games. That resulted in a surprisingly close, 76-73 win over Oregon State and an 84-82 home loss to USC.

So coach Ernie Kent returned to the four-guard attack for the other three Pac-10 games and it led to wins over then-No. 1 UCLA, Arizona State and then-No. 10 Arizona, the last two on the road.

The starters are Porter (5-6), Brooks (6-0), Bryce Taylor (6-5), Hairston (6-6) and Leunen (6-9). That's basically the same lineup Oregon used to win on the road against Georgetown, and the Hoyas' frontcourt went 7-2, 6-9 and 6-8. Despite the size issues, Kent still plays a lot of man-to-man defense.

As to how he will use his personnel against the much taller Cardinal, Kent said, "Over the course of the game, that will be determined."

Both coaches figure to adjust their lineups based on what is working. Johnson made the bold move of benching both Lopez twins for the final three minutes of overtime against Washington State, because he didn't like the matchups. It paid off in a 71-68 win.

To begin tonight, though, Johnson will have both Lopezes in there, along with Lawrence Hill (6-8), Washington (6-5) and Anthony Goods (6-4), a natural shooting guard who is now running the point.

Having Washington guard Porter, a player 11 inches shorter than him, or Brook Lopez guard Hairston or Robin Lopez guard Leunen seems like an impossible task, given the Ducks' advantage in quickness, shooting and ballhandling, so the Cardinal might use a lot of zone defense.

Johnson does not want to relinquish the advantage he would have at the other end, if the Cardinal can slow the game into a halfcourt affair and pound the ball inside to their big men. It's hard to imagine Hairston stopping Brook Lopez if Lopez posts up or Porter being able to stop Washington if he gets the ball close to the basket.

Both teams have flexibility and can change their looks if needed. The pressure will be on Kent and Johnson to make the right moves.